Miss-Delectable
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Police foil apparent kidnapping in I-72 arrest
Police intercepted an alleged kidnapper Monday afternoon on Interstate 72 near Decatur and freed a deaf woman and her two young children.
Teams of police had spent 1½ hours searching anxiously for the suspect's black Pontiac sedan after the Decatur woman sent text messages to a friend around 12:35 p.m. saying she and her children, both aged 4, had been abducted by an armed man.
Police would not confirm the information but it is understood the 26-year-old suspect is the father of the children.
State Police Master Sgt. Shad Edwards said police had good reason to fear for the safety of the woman and children. "We obviously take very seriously any message saying somebody's life is in danger," he added. "And we are especially concerned any time young children are involved."
Edwards would not comment but it is understood the suspect, who was arrested without incident and was being held at the Macon County Jail, has an extensive criminal record. Edwards did say a police check found he had an outstanding warrant for a charge of domestic battery with a prior conviction.
The suspect's vehicle was caught at 2:10 p.m. when a state trooper spotted it on I-72 heading eastbound toward Decatur. Police had earlier received reports the vehicle was somewhere between Decatur and Springfield and then later that the suspect and his victims were seen at the McDonald's restaurant on West Eldorado Street.
Edwards said Decatur police and Macon County Sheriff's deputies checked that location and then other locations in the city where the suspect and his victims had connections but found no trace of them. He said police began to fear that the mother had been "compromised" and was being forced to send misleading messages.
State Police, assisted by Illinois Conservation Police, then redeployed to I-72 in an attempt to try and intercept the suspect's car. "Luckily one of the troopers, a very observant trooper, spotted the vehicle as it was exiting the interstate toward Decatur," Edwards said. "The mother and her children were unharmed."
Edwards said the various law enforcement and other agencies involved in the case had a huge potential area to search and, given the added complication of perhaps misleading messages, had cooperated to resolve the situation peacefully.
"We were very pleased with the outcome," he said. "The case was resolved quickly by multiple agencies working together."
The FBI and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services also assisted police.
Police intercepted an alleged kidnapper Monday afternoon on Interstate 72 near Decatur and freed a deaf woman and her two young children.
Teams of police had spent 1½ hours searching anxiously for the suspect's black Pontiac sedan after the Decatur woman sent text messages to a friend around 12:35 p.m. saying she and her children, both aged 4, had been abducted by an armed man.
Police would not confirm the information but it is understood the 26-year-old suspect is the father of the children.
State Police Master Sgt. Shad Edwards said police had good reason to fear for the safety of the woman and children. "We obviously take very seriously any message saying somebody's life is in danger," he added. "And we are especially concerned any time young children are involved."
Edwards would not comment but it is understood the suspect, who was arrested without incident and was being held at the Macon County Jail, has an extensive criminal record. Edwards did say a police check found he had an outstanding warrant for a charge of domestic battery with a prior conviction.
The suspect's vehicle was caught at 2:10 p.m. when a state trooper spotted it on I-72 heading eastbound toward Decatur. Police had earlier received reports the vehicle was somewhere between Decatur and Springfield and then later that the suspect and his victims were seen at the McDonald's restaurant on West Eldorado Street.
Edwards said Decatur police and Macon County Sheriff's deputies checked that location and then other locations in the city where the suspect and his victims had connections but found no trace of them. He said police began to fear that the mother had been "compromised" and was being forced to send misleading messages.
State Police, assisted by Illinois Conservation Police, then redeployed to I-72 in an attempt to try and intercept the suspect's car. "Luckily one of the troopers, a very observant trooper, spotted the vehicle as it was exiting the interstate toward Decatur," Edwards said. "The mother and her children were unharmed."
Edwards said the various law enforcement and other agencies involved in the case had a huge potential area to search and, given the added complication of perhaps misleading messages, had cooperated to resolve the situation peacefully.
"We were very pleased with the outcome," he said. "The case was resolved quickly by multiple agencies working together."
The FBI and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services also assisted police.